Loved ones of Alyssa Hearn, the little girl who died after being hit by a school bus Friday held a vigil for her Sunday afternoon.
The vigil was held at the Springville Griffith High School football field at 1 p.m. and included a balloon release.
"When those balloons went up and folks turned their heads upwards, it allowed those emotions to flow more freely and I think it allowed us to feel some sense of release and an expression of love for a precious child in our community," said Allison Duwe, School Board President.
"The only way we can move through this is together," said Kimberly Moritz, Superintendent of Schools, Springville-Griffith Institution. "It's not something that a family should ever have to experience at all, let along without the love and support of the community."
Women were asked to wear pink and men to wear purple, Alyssa Hearn's favorite colors, to honor her.
"She was fun, she was goofy, and she was energetic and she had this presence... I don't think one person will not feel the loss of that presence," said Melissa Frank, Alyssa's cheerleading coach, and the SES PTA President.
The presence on the Griffith High School football field was tremendous. Hundreds of people wearing her favorite colors, showing the true meaning of Springville Strong.
"A community is an organism," said Duwe. "It's living, it's breathing. So when a piece of that community is hurt, we all struggle and suffer."
If you wish to donate to the family, you can go to their GoFundMe page here.
As of Sunday at 6 p.m., the page has raised over $41,000.
 |
Live video, the latest news and no surveys - download the WKBW app |
 |
News, forecast and Bills newsletters delivered to your e-mail inbox |
